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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24177613">One way to handle missed deadlines</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/windupgod/pseuds/windupgod'>windupgod</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>BatIM Oneshots [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bendy and the Ink Machine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Boss/Employee Relationship, Creatorshipping, Death and Taxes, Dirty Talk, Don't Judge Me, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Grant has mixed feelings about it tho, Hand Jobs, Hiatus, Hurt/Comfort, I think he likes it, Joey is a jerk as usual, Joey is now nice, Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Mention of Death, Occasional swearing, Office Sex, Porn With Plot, Teasing, They are still Humans, im drowning in fluff and more to come, joey and henry are exes, shameless self indulgence, tbh I dunno if this will be finished</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:56:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>19,665</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24177613</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/windupgod/pseuds/windupgod</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Some late reports can lead to so many events.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Joey Drew/Grant Cohen, Joey Drew/Henry Stein, Past Joey and Henry</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>BatIM Oneshots [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2114403</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Those missed reports</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>After doing some unpaid overtime for fun, I was thinking of Grant and.. this happened. &lt;:</p><p>So this originally started off as a oneshot; the first chapter is mainly smut, but then I got some inspiration to continue, so there will be more story in the following chapters.~</p><p>A reminder that due to the above, it's basically understandable simply by reading this one chapter, so if you'd only like some short smut, it's fine to read just CH1. ~</p><p>Chapters with smut so far: 1, 3, 5 (updating this as it goes)</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Their relationship begins in an odd way, but that doesn't mean it can't have a happy end, right?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was late with the finance reports, <em> again. </em></p><p>Joey let out a deep, irritated sigh as he was organizing papers and found Grant’s note in around the middle of the large stack of documents. He was expecting actual reports, not a messy piece of paper torn out from a notepad with the text <em> ‘Mr. Drew, the reports are not finished yet, as there are some difficulties with the calculations, probably ready later tomorrow. G. Cohen'. </em>No, this was completely unacceptable. <em> What is that man even doing? He hired him to do his damn math and deal with the finances. Not to slack around. </em></p><p>He massaged the bridge of his nose in annoyance. He could, of course, fire him any time, but would that really help? He didn’t have a replacement for him. And the man <em> did </em> usually do a very good and precise job. He was great at calling their investors for more funds, organising their budget and explaining to their peers if they happened to not be able to pay them "at the moment". His polite manners worked well enough. Joey didn’t even want to consider (or admit) that it <em> might </em> be partially his own fault, having spent quite a lot of the budget lately on his secret project. <em> It’s definitely Grant’s mistake. He could come up with something to sort things out. Why should he be the one to worry about all this, when he has an accountant? </em></p><p>He stared at the little note for a while, just humming to himself, thinking on what should he do next. Tax was due to be paid in three days, and he also had to think about other bills and employee wages. He would have hated to leave these for the very last moment. He had to make sure everything’s working out correctly, to secure his project. <em> And it was a big project! One that will make the company rich! It would be absolutely unreasonable to waste this opportunity, just because a clumsy accountant couldn’t finish some petty calculations. </em></p><p>He decided to give Grant a visit after work hours. After all, he had other documents to go through anyways. There was no rush in seeing the man for now.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Joey really tried to concentrate during the second half of the day, but hardly was able to. His mind kept drifting back to Grant and his upcoming visit. All he could think of is <em> how he should deal with the man. </em> Should he.. give him a written warning? That would be probably an appropriate, professional way to handle the situation. The man would get scared a bit, and maybe that would push him to work even harder. But.. <em> it wasn’t really Joey’s style. </em> Oh no, he’ll need something a bit more.. <em> cruel. </em> Something that will scar the man enough to do his <em> damn job. But what? </em></p><p>The end of the day approached quickly. Joey heard people chatting from outside of his office, the sound of the punch-in station in operation, and creaky doors opening and closing. It didn’t take long until there were no more voices to be heard, and the studio fell silent. However, Joey <em> knew </em> that Grant was still present. The man overstayed every day without exception, sometimes pulling all-nighters, with which Joey was very content. <em> That’s how everyone should work, </em> he said to the man once, <em> willingly, with enthusiasm, and not expecting paid overtime! </em>So he headed out of his office, right up to the accountant’s lair.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>Grant heard two solid knocks at his door. He was half buried in documents and paychecks, getting seriously fed up with all this, and now someone <em> dares to bother him. What a goddamn good timing. </em> But then again, he was way too modest to say what he was truly thinking (something along the lines of <em> “leave me the fuck alone, I’m busy”</em>), so he just shouted out a frustrated “come in” to whoever found it appropriate to visit him <em> this hour. </em></p><p>He immediately felt relief about his more respectful choice of wording when he saw his boss, Joey Drew at the door. He straightened his posture a bit, adjusted his glasses and tugged at his tie as a desperate attempt of making himself appear more official (<em>probably without any real improvement, at his state </em>) in front of the man who paid him.</p><p>“Mr. Drew, good evening.” He gulped, trying to sound casual. <em> Joey freaked him out a little. </em> The man had a quaint aura surrounding him that radiated almost viciously, demanding respect. At least, that’s how Grant felt about him. He wasn’t afraid or so, but he tended to keep his distance, and avoided the director whenever he could. And he <em> never </em>had him in his office before. His mind traveled back to the note he sent up to him earlier, and he got a little nervous about the nature of his boss’ visit.</p><p>“Well, I wish it was a good evening, Mr. Cohen.” Joey cleared his throat, and shut the door behind him. “I wonder if you know why I’m here.” Joey saw the man trembling slightly, and he felt absolutely in control. And it was a <em> wondrous </em> feeling. Joey really <em> loved </em>power.</p><p>“I.. uh..” Grant started fiddling with a pencil nervously. “I reckon it might be about the matter of finance reports..”</p><p>“Oh, you’re bright.” Joey stepped right in front of Grant’s desk and placed two palms on the edge, bending down a little as he laid on them. “The <em> matter of finance reports. </em> I’d absolutely <em> love </em> to know why you haven’t finished them yet. I believe the deadline was <em> today. </em> Not tomorrow, not the day after.. <em> This day. </em>”</p><p>“Mr. Drew.. I apologize, but the thing is.. we are in a debt, and I’m not exactly sure how would it be possible to handle..”</p><p>“Well, <em> sort it out. </em> Because it’s your <em> damn job.</em>” Joey said plainly, and he saw Grant struggling with how to answer.</p><p>He looked over Grant in the meanwhile, and had to admit that the accountant was quite a handsome man. He only checked him out briefly before, but now he had plenty time to do so. He was younger than Joey, probably in his early thirties. He had thick, ligh brown locks which he usually wore neatly groomed, but this time it was a lovely mess, fringes slightly hanging down and covering his glasses. His suit was in a pristine state though, the man obviously paying high attention to keeping it tidy. Oh yes, the whole picture was certainly <em> very </em> attractive. An idea popped into Joey’s mind; an idea about a fitting punishment.</p><p>“Still no answer, huh~?” He hummed, switching to a different tone that made the other man’s eyes widen a little in confusion. Joey already got slightly aroused from his reaction. <em> Is that fear he saw in his eyes? </em> He leaned off the table, and started walking over to Grant’s chair, stopping right next to him. Grant instantly spinned the chair around to face his boss respectfully. He was also going to stand up, but Joey grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back to sitting position. Now he <em> really </em> was concerned. <em> Does Joey want to hurt him? </em></p><p>“M-Mr. Drew.. Please, let’s just talk this over..” Grant’s voice hinted some panic in it, to Joey’s greatest delight. “There’s no need to..”</p><p>“Shut up, Cohen.” Joey interrupted the man who - mildly frightened - remained silent after. Joey grabbed the man’s collars, hunched over to him, and kissed him roughly on the lips. It’s an underestimation to say that Grant was <em> startled. </em> His heartbeat rose up and his cheeks flushed a deep red. He struggled to process what was happening, and maybe due to that, maybe due to the fact that he <em> enjoyed </em> the other’s soft lips against his, he didn’t move back. Instead, with a soundless sigh, he shut his eyes and leaned into the kiss. Joey pulled away after a few minutes of just lightly relishing the taste of the other. Grant was panting, and when Joey looked down, he saw the clear outline of an erection in his pants. He smirked. <em> Yes, it’s all going as planned. </em></p><p>“Oh my.. A little excited, are we, Grant~?” He gave the other a devilish grin, and Grant’s face just turned to a deeper shade of red. “Don’t worry, my dear accountant. I can help you. If you cooperate, I mean~.”</p><p>With that, Joey slowly got on his knees to Grant’s mild shock, then parted the other’s legs with both hands, caressing the man’s inner thighs. The movements caused Grant to cry out in frustration, and he felt his erection throbbing in his now painfully tight trousers.</p><p>“Damn, that looks uncomfortable~.” Joey traveled up with one hand and pressed it lightly against the hard length through the fabric. Grant moaned. “Let me take care of it.”</p><p>Joey began to unbutton and unzip the other’s dress pants, and finally heard Grant speaking up.</p><p>“J-Joey.. What are you-ah!-doing?” The voice came out shaky.</p><p>“It’s Mr. Drew for you, Grant. Can’t you be a bit more respectful with your employer~?”</p><p><em> Well damn, not when said employer is between your legs, </em> is what crossed Grant’s mind, but obviously didn’t say it out loud. To be fair he couldn’t have, even if he tried. He didn’t <em> want </em> to. At that moment all he wanted is to beg Joey to take him in his mouth, or <em> whatever </em> that would relieve him from the intense need he felt. He was ashamed to be seen like this, but at the same time, thrilled from the turn of events. He always thought Joey was a tad creepy, but surely a good-looking man, and in *certain situations* he <em> might have </em> imagined doing things with him.. But he could have never imagined it <em> actually </em>happening.</p><p>“Mr. Drew..” He repeated faintly, but couldn’t say more. Joey pushed his briefs down, and grabbed hold of his hard cock. He cried out in pleasure.</p><p>“Did you want to ask something~?” Joey’s voice had a hint of sadistic tone in it as he licked at the tip softly. It was already leaking precum. Grant shifted in his seat, immensely trying to not buck his hips forward. <em> He could simply grab Joey’s hair and force himself down his throat, ah, how nice would that be. Bet he feels amazing. The bastard would even deserve it. But fuck - this man is still his boss. He can’t just lose his job (and mind) over something like this. He will let Joey do whatever he planned, and hope that it will be enjoyable. It did seem kinda like that so far. </em></p><p>He shook his head weakly. “Good~.” Joey purred, and traced his tongue lightly over the hard member, earning another loud whimper from Grant. “Do you want this, Grantie~? Would you like me to take it all, to swallow you deep, so you can feel the back of my throat? And then you could come into my mouth and I’d swallow that too, or maybe you’d prefer to finish on my face, hmm~? Would that make you feel <em> even more </em> satisfied, to see me like <em> that </em>~? How much do you want it?”</p><p>“Ah.. <em> fuck.</em>” Grant hissed as his member twitched just from everything the man described. And <em> oh, did he want it. He wanted it so much it hurt. </em> “<em>Very </em> .. y-yes.. please Jo.. <em> Mr. Drew.. </em>Please do it, ah-anything..”</p><p>Joey chuckled. He felt his own member pressing against his pants. It was all so beautiful, so delightful, seeing and hearing Grant beg for him like that.. For a fleeting moment, he thought about abandoning his whole plan and just fucking the lovely accountant over his own desk, but <em> no. </em> What he planned was so much more pleasurable anyways. <em> For him at least. </em></p><p>“Well-well, I can certainly see you desperately need it.. So how about we make a deal, hmm~?”</p><p>Grant let out a confused groan. <em> A deal? Right now? What is this man really plotting? </em></p><p>“<em>Ah- </em>a deal?” Joey still stroked him occasionally, and he was getting seriously worked up. At this point he would have probably accepted any kind of ‘deal’ the man offered him, if that meant he can finally have his release.</p><p>“How about you lean back to your desk nicely, like the good little worker you are.. and start filling out those tax reports for me~?” Joey’s hot breath grazed his erection as he said these words, making him shiver. It took him a few seconds to process what he just said. <em> He wants him to.. work? </em>“Oh, but there is a catch though. I will keep tending to your, hm, needs while you’re doing it.. and if you come before you’re done, you’re fired. How ‘bout that, Grantie~?”</p><p><em> What?? Fired? Is he even serious right now? </em>“I’m not bluffing.” Joey winked, answering to his unspoken thoughts, and leaned his head back to his erection to suck on the tip. Grant couldn’t stop himself from slightly bucking forward this time. “No-no, you stay still.” Joey pushed him back. “Stay put and do your calculations. Your time is not endless.. I will start easy on you, but I’m still not very sure how long you can last~. Especially when I really give in all I got for you..”</p><p>Grant was still shocked, but the threat of losing his job got his attention. He nodded, and as much as he could in his current position, he leaned over to his desk and started looking through his papers with shaky hands. <em> Finances, tax reports, where did he put them earlier? </em></p><p>Joey didn’t rest in the meantime. He was holding Grant’s length in one hand, slowly stroking it up and down, occasionally pressing his tongue against it, which just drove Grant crazy. He was panting when he finally got hold of a paper that seemed like the one he was looking for, filled with all the data that clearly showed how Joey overspent their budget, but would <em> never admit. Doesn’t matter. He will work out something, definitely will, both for the sake of his job and his much-needed release. </em></p><p>“You got it, my dear accountant~?” Joey gave him a harder stroke. He whined out.</p><p>“Y-Yes, Mr. Drew. I’m.. I’m looking it over now, I’m f-filling it out..”</p><p>“Maybe you would like to keep me informed. Read it out loud~.” Grant was about to start, when Joey slowly took his whole length in his mouth, and started moving his head up and down. All that came out of Grant’s lips was an incoherent moan, and he had to hold into his desk to not fall back in the chair. “Hmm? I didn’t hear clearly~. Shall I take all of it in again, or you gonna speak~?” Joey only stopped his movements for a moment to say that, then was about to continue, when Grant cried up.</p><p>“N-No, no.. I’ll.. I’ll start, please..” Normally he would have <em> not </em> stopped the man. God, that hot, wet mouth felt <em> wonderful </em> around his aching cock, but he <em> knew </em>he wouldn’t last for another five minutes if it went on that way. He cleared his throat shakily, and began reading data.</p><p>“O-our funds for the month.. a h-hundred thousand and..” His voice fumbled. It also didn’t help that he saw Joey reaching down to his own member (<em>he was also hard; </em> Grant noted) and started stroking it through his clothes, moaning just the slightest. “Go on~.” He mewled, and took Grant’s cock in his mouth again, wrapping his tongue around the shaft. Grant had no idea how he will last even a minute like that. He desperately tried to distract his mind with something else; doing some mental calculations, thinking about <em> taxes, anything, really, </em>that might put his thoughts away from his boss kneeling between his legs and pleasuring him, but with no avail. He just had to be quick with the papers, if he wanted to keep his job.</p><p>“Th-This month’s spendings..” He continued trying to read out the reports. “H-Here, it says ten thOH-usand… three h-hundred.. e-equipment from Gent..” He clenched the pen he used to keep track of the lines so hard it almost snapped in half.</p><p>“Yes, Grant? Keep it up.. These are important data. I want to hear it all~.” Joey smirked, stopping just for a second before taking the other man’s cock in his mouth again.</p><p>“Employee.. s-salaries..” Grant whimpered, one hand turning into a fist from the bittersweet pain the teasing caused him. “Fifty..six.. I-I have already added up everything else, except the <em> ah- </em> the taxes and fees..”</p><p>“You’re doing <em> great, </em> Grantie~. Now tell me.. <em> What </em> are those difficulties you mentioned in your note~? Are you telling me we can’t pay those <em> damn </em> taxes, hmm~? <em>Really~</em>?”</p><p>Joey didn’t have mercy anymore. He took his whole length into his mouth and started moving in a steady rhythm, skilfully using his tongue as an addition and stroking the base of his length with his hand. Grant panted sharply and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to be able to hold back his climax. <em> He never struggled this hard in his life ever, probably. </em></p><p>“I-If I just m-maybe.. move some f-funds around and.. fudge the numbers.. y-yes, I can see a way to do tha-ah-t..!”</p><p>“Are you <em> sure~? </em>” Joey only ever stopped to tease him even more. “Are the papers all sorted, then~?”</p><p>“Yes. God, y-yes, they are..” He was a whimpering mess, and very much on the verge of collapsing, when Joey finally spoke up.</p><p>“Then you <em> may </em>come, Mr. Cohen.”</p><p>Grant didn’t need more. In the next second he climaxed, releasing in Joey’s mouth as the man had his length deep again. Joey swallowed, then pulled away and wiped his lips with a thumb. He stood up swiftly in front of Grant, then grabbed his hair, not even waiting for the man to get himself together a bit after his climax.</p><p>“Open wide~.” He said as he unzipped his pants and took out his own length, clearly in need of attention. Grant was weak and worn, but he obediently took the member into his mouth and started bobbing his head (mostly mindlessly, as it was all still just a hazy white fog surrounding his vision). He didn’t need to do it for a long time; it seemed like Joey was pretty close himself, as after a few thrusts into the accountant’s mouth he reached his release, and held Grant’s head firmly until he swallowed every drop. Then just casually tucked himself away, and gave Grant’s hair a slightly rough tug.</p><p>“Good boy. I want the papers on my desk by the time I arrive in the morning, tomorrow. Don’t be late again, understood~?”</p><p>Grant just nodded weakly, and tried to dress up and adjust his clothing, which proved to be kind of a difficult task with his shaking hands. He heard Joey snicker, as he turned on his heels and simply walked out of his office without any further word.</p><p>Grant, still traumatised from the events, mechanically started to fill out the reports.</p><p>Despite the circumstances, the thought of missing the next deadline as well <em> absolutely crossed his mind. </em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. An Invitation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Is what happened between them just about to become more than a one-off thing?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's now a fluff story. Like.. a lot of fluff? Nice Joey? Yay?</p><p>ps, I'm working on more suggestions as well, it's really just random what inspires me in any given moment. Bear with me~</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was silence the next day, and the days after too. Well, of course there was. Grant didn’t really expect a discussion on what happened. It’s not like the act was something romantic between the two of them, the opposite, in fact. It was a power play; Joey showed him his place, showed that he <em> owns </em>him and can do as he pleases, and Grant would have little to no say in it. Back then he didn’t know that signing a job contract will mean signing most of his rights as a human away as well; but what could he do? He needed this job. They all did. And Joey knew this very well, and used it against them on a daily basis. In many different ways. What he did to Grant was just one of these ways; he was pretty sure of this.</p><p>But oh, did he think about it. His mind kept replaying what happened that night (<em>annoyingly, many times when he should have been working and paying attention to the numbers </em> ), and just.. reciting the events. Remembering Joey's touches, his words.. Not once he found himself <em> awkwardly hard </em> as well, which he just had to ignore and suffer until he was able to clear his head, for the time being; and release himself when he got back home. <em> Totally not thinking about his boss, nah. </em></p><p>Things were relatively normal nonetheless, as normal as it could get for their Studio. They all worked very hard to keep up with things (and Joey’s expectations), to keep the place running smoothly. It was difficult, but not more than before. Nothing changed for Grant. His days were spent by shuffling the finances around, calculating taxes, and desperately attempting to reach out to their investors for more funding (<em> trying to make Joey’s ideas sound appealing was extremely challenging while not even knowing what they were really about </em> <em>)</em>. He had his ways, regardless.</p><p>He hadn't even seen Joey after that for a long time. Days turned to weeks, and the only communication they maintained was one via hastily written notes. “Please, send down the tax reports by lunch, J. D.” or “The paychecks for employees are ready to collect, G. Cohen”, the likes. Very professional and to the point. Grant hated to admit that he missed the man. The affair might have brought up old memories and feelings in him, which he really wanted to just forget, but couldn’t. Not completely.</p><p> </p><p>It came as a huge surprise for him when he found <em> the note </em>. Grant was doing his usual paperwork, when Wally brought down a bunch of extra documents for him.</p><p>“Hey Grant, ya’ alright?” The janitor grinned at him while putting (or more like, throwing) the stash of documents down to his desk. “Joey’s sending his regards. And these.” He gestured to the papers, laughing. Grant forced a smile onto his face; he didn’t really find all this <em> that </em>funny.</p><p>“Thanks, Wally.” He nodded, and pulled the stash to himself. He decided he’ll go through them straight away.</p><p>“No bother Grant, see ya later, I’m outta here.” He waved, and basically stormed out, smashing the door behind himself. Grant sighed.</p><p>“This is gonna be fun..” He muttered to himself the moment he saw the top sheet. <em> Bills of expenses. Title: ‘Special project’. Another one. </em></p><p>He began to just kinda flip through the pages, to at least have a general idea on what it is all about, when he noticed a smaller paper that didn’t seem to belong there. He raised a brow and picked it up. The thing was folded in half. He carefully unfolded it, and read the words written on it. And then again and again, trying to comprehend them.</p><p>“<em>Missing me yet? Come to my office after hours. I’ve got an idea. J. D.” </em></p><p>Was this really happening? He felt dizzy as he put the note aside and continued checking the actual work related documents. <em> So Joey wants to see him. After hours. In his office. Is it about.. </em> No. It might be something completely innocent. Like an educational speech on how to do proper documentation. Or an info about one of his projects. <em> Relax. </em></p><p>But he didn’t relax. As the overthinker he was, he literally went through probably hundreds of possible scenarios in his head by the end of the day. And he was seriously flustered. His heart already started beating faster the moment the wall clock hit 5. He waited a good half an hour, to be sure everyone left, and only then he stood up and started making his way up, to his boss’ office. He decided to take the lift (<em> he really just wanted to be quick, for this anticipation to finally end) </em>, so he let out a frustrated whine when it stopped on a different level than Joey’s.</p><p>“You okay there, Grant?” Sammy stepped into the lift next to the man, as he pressed the ground level, ready to leave the Studio and head home. “You seem.. You got a fever or something?”</p><p>Grant snatched up his head to the familiar voice. He didn’t pay attention when the man entered. Only then he noticed it was his friend from the Music Department. Sammy looked at him with something like a faint worry in his tired blue eyes. The composer wasn’t a man of showing feelings, but he and Grant were quite close, so he was a bit more direct with the accountant than with anyone else.</p><p>“Oh, hey Sammy. Yeah, just.. you know, <em> work. </em>” Grant offered up, hoping it will be enough. He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to talk at that moment. And especially not about the real reasons behind his weird behavior.</p><p>“That I know.” Sammy laughed bitterly. “Going to boss’ office?” He added when he saw which button was pressed. “Are you in trouble?”</p><p>“N-no.” Grant tried to hide a slight blush. <em> He totally was. </em> “I think he just wants to discuss one of those projects of his. Or announces that he spent the rest of our funds on a few hundred Bendy masks which we all have to wear to work from tomorrow, who the hell knows at this point.”</p><p>Sammy laughed again, this time more cheerfully. One of the reasons they liked eachother’s company was the jokes they shared to deal with their dire situations. It might have been an unhealthy coping mechanism, but it did make them feel better, and if it worked, then why not? Not like they could do anything else.</p><p>“Wouldn’t that be great? Seeing that grin even more frequently? I wonder how long it’d take for us to go insane, my bet is one week.”</p><p>“Generous bet.” Grant chuckled. He actually eased up a little, and was more than happy for it. <em> Maybe it will be a bit less awkward, to meet Joey like this. </em></p><p>“True, we’re already insane enough without that crap. Well, tis’ my floor. Take care, Grant.” Sammy patted his back and nodded, then stepped out of the lift and was gone in a heartbeat. And Grant continued his journey.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>The corridors were empty and quiet as Grant walked through them, and his knocks on Joey’s office sounded awfully loud to him. When he heard the “come in!”, he braced himself and finally pressed down the handle to enter.</p><p>Joey was sitting at his desk, with a smile on his face that only widened as he saw Grant entering and closing the door behind him. He could absolutely sense his frustration, and he liked it. He liked how Grant didn’t even dare to come closer, but simply stood at the door, obediently waiting for permission. He just eyed him for a while, enjoying the effects of his power before gesturing the man to come closer.</p><p>“I..” Grant cleared his throat before speaking up as he arrived in front of Joey. “I received your note. How may I help you, Mr. Drew?”</p><p>“First, you should answer the question.” Joey smirked. “Have you been missing me, Grant? I gave you a lot of time to think, have you been thinking about <em> me </em> <em>?”</em></p><p>Grant froze. <em> That came very suddenly. And it was very straightforward. </em> Deep down, he expected this, but.. in a different way, probably. It almost sounded like Joey was offering something.. and he wasn’t sure <em> what. </em> He had no idea how to respond. Well, he knew how he <em> felt. </em> It was more like, he had no idea how to respond <em> to please Joey. </em></p><p>“Be honest. Don’t worry too much, it’s a simple question, isn’t it~?” Joey’s tone did reassure him a little. Maybe it really was okay. Maybe he can be honest. Maybe it won’t cause any problems.</p><p>“I.. actually did. Many times, apparently.” He took a deep breath.</p><p>“And what were those thoughts about? Daydreaming? Bad memories? Or touching yourself while remembering my mouth around you, perhaps?”</p><p>Grant went from slightly flustered to madly embarrassed like a shot. He couldn’t even utter a word, but his reaction was enough of an answer for Joey.</p><p>“Thought so.” He chuckled. "I was thinking too, Grantie. I'm free after work tomorrow, we're going to a club, you and me. I really need some relaxation. Sounds good?"</p><p>It was definitely not a question, and Grant knew it. It was a statement. An order. And had an unspoken threat in it. Joey surely had a way with words and tones. <em> Never a direct threat, only subtle hints. A true professional businessman. </em> Despite everything, Grant looked up to this man with awe, had a respect for his achievements and his ways, even though they were often twisted. And he, just like most people, couldn't say no to Joey.</p><p>"Yes, Mr. Drew. Around this time?"</p><p>“That will be perfect. Now off you go. You need to be well rested after all.. tomorrow’s gonna be a long day for you, my dear accountant~.” He waved at Grant in dismissal, and Grant didn’t hesitate to leave the room.</p><p><br/>
He mindlessly walked towards the entrance door, punching out before exiting, and heading home. It was already getting dark, and a chilly breeze swept over him, bringing the first scents of an approaching spring. He was very grateful for it at the moment; he really needed to clear his mind. <em> God, tomorrow will indeed be an awfully long day for Grant. </em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Something Different</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Everything seems to go alright, so what could go wrong, really?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The previous chapter was short, because I prepared two~ Hope yall enjoy! ♥️</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Work just couldn’t pass quick enough. And Grant couldn’t really pay attention to it either. He was able to do calculations and the likes automatically, without thinking much about them, and that was the only thing that saved him from an utterly unproductive day. He was completely distracted, trying to imagine what will happen tonight. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Was it gonna be a.. date? Does Joey want something from him after all? Maybe more than a one-off thing? Or, could it really be simply what it was: having a few drinks with a colleague?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t able to decide which one was more likely, nor which one he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>to happen. All these years, he didn’t let himself feel anything for anyone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>For Joey.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He made himself believe it’s because he was focusing on his job, which </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>also true, but it wasn’t the </span>
  <em>
    <span>entire </span>
  </em>
  <span>truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As much as he hated to admit it, he used to have a crush on Joey. It was around the time he started working for him. But back then, he had to step aside from trying to express his interest. Even if it wouldn’t have been </span>
  <em>
    <span>probably </span>
  </em>
  <span>completely pointless (</span>
  <em>
    <span>like, what are the chances that he could actually get it on with his boss?)</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he would have never done anything with Henry in the picture. And it’s not like he would know </span>
  <em>
    <span>what </span>
  </em>
  <span>to do. How to approach someone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t have a lot of experience in this field. He was serious and rather shy as a teen, and concentrated more on his studies than on any kind of love life. He remembered kissing a girl once in high school; they were sitting at the back of a movie theater, in all darkness, and the girl made a move. But it didn’t have a follow-up. They got all touchy, and Grant enjoyed it more or less, but that was it; their ways parted when the movie ended, and the next day he saw the girl with another boy - one that wasn’t afraid to kiss and embrace her. He totally understood. He knew he should gather his confidence if he really wanted a relationship, but the thing is, he didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>want one. He went back to focus more on learning; especially when he got into university. And numbers fascinated him more than women, anyways. He was the resident weirdo that got teased by his peers for not fooling around in his student years, but also the one they turned to when they needed help with the classes. He didn’t mind this and gladly helped anyone, earning himself a handful of friends this way. Then he graduated and started working as a bookkeeper for a small company, which shut down in a few years due to financial collapse. It was very sudden, and they weren't prepared. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It contributed a lot to his anxiety</span>
  </em>
  <span>. After that, he had to do some jobs he wasn't very keen on</span>
  <span>. One of those was working as a front of house staff for a restaurant, simply because nobody seemed to be hiring trained accountants that time. But work was work, and Grant was completely by himself, with no one to support him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That’s how he met Joey Drew. He immediately noticed the man the second he stepped into the restaurant. He had an </span>
  <em>
    <span>aura. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It also helped that he was quite handsome and looked wealthy, which wasn’t an unusual thing, but still attracted attention from everyone; including Grant. He was the only one free that moment, so he walked up to the man as he entered, welcoming him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good afternoon, sir. Table for one?” He tried to pick up his best manners for this man. It felt like that’s what he’s used to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yes, certainly.” The other smiled enchantingly. “Unless you’re joining me.”</span>
</p><p><span>Grant furrowed his brows for a second, before the man laughed out heartily and he understood that it was a joke. </span><em><span>What else would it have been?</span></em> <em><span>Weird sense or humor. </span></em><span>But he laughed politely as well, guiding him to a table, then taking his orders. </span><em><span>Of course he ordered their most expensive wine and steak. </span></em><span>Grant just nodded along to whatever he said, and didn’t waste time serving him.</span></p><p>
  <span>It all went swimmingly. The man - ‘Mr. Drew’, he overheard that much from other colleagues - seemed to be satisfied with both the service and the food quality. He cleaned his plate up, downed three glasses of wine, then asked for the bill.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be sure to tip you.” He said to Grant with a wink as he offered up the black booklet with the bill inside. He patiently waited until Mr. Drew took a look, seemingly trying to process what he was seeing. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He sure showed signs of being tipsy; not a surprise after all those drinks.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“If there’s any way I can help, sir..” Grant offered up after a few minutes of silence, filled with Mr. Drew’s occasional humming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, yes. I just can’t seem to be able to think numbers right now.” He laughed again that cheerful laugh of his. Grant liked it. “Can you calculate about twenty-five percent of the final amount? I want my tip to be accurate. I’ll give you some time to..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be seven dollars fifteen, sir. But it depends on whether you wish to count in the drinks or not. In that case, it’s four thirty.” Grant took a glance on the piece of paper, and already had the answer. He did feel bad for interrupting the man, though, especially when he saw his eyes go slightly wider. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did he just piss him off? He might need to forget that tip after all.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you calculate that in your head? So quickly?” Mr. Drew finally spoke up. His tone wasn’t upset, but more surprised. Grant let out a small sigh of relief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir. I’m uh, I’m actually a business and finances graduate. I used to work as an accountant, until..” Grant stopped when he realized he’s sharing meaningless information with the man. That was not his job, and he wanted to keep things professional. Besides, he didn’t even know this man. Why would he be interested in his unfortunate past? He shrugged, and went silent.</span>
</p><p><span>“That’s impressive. What was your name, again?” He saw a smile ghost around the corners of his mouth. </span><em><span>He never told him his name. He didn’t ask</span></em> <em><span>before.</span></em></p><p>
  <span>“It’s Grant. Grant Cohen.” Grant nodded. “It’s an honor, Mr. Drew.” He instantly bit down on his lower lip when he realized the man didn’t even introduce himself yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So my reputation preceded me, huh?” Mr. Drew laughed. “See, Grant, I’m looking for an accountant for my Studio, someone exactly like you. You seem talented, and I’m extremely good at recognizing talent. I’m sure you would be a great addition to our team. You don’t belong here, I can tell. What do you say?” While speaking, Mr. Drew reached into his wallet and put the money in the book, sliding six dollars directly into Grant’s hand. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He wasn’t accurate after all. Grant didn’t mind, though.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He took the notes with a grateful nod, and his mind returned to the question the man asked. He kind of just started processing it at that moment, but he already knew the answer. If there was any way for him to return to an office and to his numbers, then he’d be sure to take it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would be delighted to work for you, Mr. Drew.” He answered, trying not to sound as overly excited as he had gotten.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great! Come to Joey Drew Studios tomorrow, at eight. I'll write the address down here for you. We’ll do all the paperwork, and you may start immediately.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Mr. Drew stood, handed the paper with the address to Grant, shook his hand, and left. Grant was just kind of staring after him for a while in shock, before grabbing the book with the money and returning to his supervisor to tell him what happened. All he could think about is finally getting out of here. </span>
  <em>
    <span>And a bit about the charming man who was making it possible.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh yes, he still clearly remembered the effects Joey had on him that time they met. Grant contemplated trying to get closer to him at first, after he started working for him, but he had no idea how. And he learned about Henry very quickly, which was a good excuse for him to not feel guilty about being so awkward and shy (</span>
  <em>
    <span>this way he didn’t have to wonder ‘what if’... it wasn’t his fault, right?).</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Sometimes it hurt him a little, seeing them laugh together, being so close. But it was fine. It was just a crush, Grant could get over it, he kept telling himself. And he did. Getting to know Joey’s darker side sure helped a lot, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But now Henry was gone. And he had a chance to.. maybe experience another part of Joey. Who knows, he might have a soft side? He might be nice to his partner? Sure, he was such a bastard of a boss, but how would he act in a relationship? Grant wanted to know. Yes, he definitely wanted to. This might be a good opportunity to let his walls down, and just try to enjoy himself. And possibly be happy with someone he kinda liked. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, really liked. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It seemed as if his feelings just resurfaced a little, and that scared him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Luckily he had no time to overthink even further. The day was finished, people started going home, and Grant was getting anxious again. He organized his documents and papers neatly on his desk as always, making sure he has everything in perfect order before leaving. And then he stood up to make his way to Joey's.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grant was about to knock, but at that same moment the door had flung open, and there stood Joey. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Like he knew he was there</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Perplexed, Grant backed up a few steps, and nervously adjusted his tie. Joey was smiling as usual.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I trusted you’re gonna be exactly in time. Are you ready?" Joey looked him over, then clicked his tongue approvingly. "You're looking fine, I like this suit. Good choice, you just </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew </span>
  </em>
  <span>we're going to a fancy place, huh? Now come with me. Let's not waste more time."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Joey was already heading to the exit, not even making sure Grant was following him. He had to take quicker steps to catch up with the taller man, but he did eventually, and they were almost side by side, with Grant just a tad behind. He followed Joey outside and then to his car, entered the vehicle when he was encouraged to, then leaned back and.. waited. Only waited, because he wouldn't have dared to ask questions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, don’t be so tense. We’re just gonna have a few drinks, that ain’t so horrible?” Joey smirked as he saw Grant anxiously fiddling with his fingers as the car roared up. He placed a palm for a second on Grant’s thigh, making him jump a little. And he laughed. “God, how long has it been since you went out with someone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Been quite a while, Mr. Drew..” Grant muttered with a sigh, trying to relax. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>seriously </span>
  </em>
  <span>had to practice that. It wasn’t only the date that made him a bit uneasy. It was the whole </span>
  <em>
    <span>going-out-with-your-boss </span>
  </em>
  <span>thing. He was always the kind of person that respected his superiors, and didn’t sweet talk or try to befriend them. Keep things professional, all the time, was his motto at work. He knew very well that bosses are human beings too (</span>
  <em>
    <span>even Joey, who sometimes didn’t exactly act like one) </span>
  </em>
  <span>but it was just a thing for him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Never cross boundaries</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can call me Joey outside of the Studio, Grant.” He gave the man a half smile, which almost seemed reassuring. Almost kind. He nodded in response, then turned his head to look at the road.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They left the Broadway, but didn’t go very far; they were at West side (a rather posh area apparently) when Joey stopped the car in front of a place that looked like it could be </span>
  <em>
    <span>the</span>
  </em>
  <span> club. Stepping out to the sidewalk, Joey gestured towards a building. Grant saw a giant lit-up sign that said “Club Carousel” on the top of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So let’s get going, shall we?” Joey patted Grant’s back once, then went for the entrance without hesitation. Grant didn’t feel very comfortable, but followed the man nonetheless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a very extravagant place indeed. Quite spacious, full with well-dressed rich people, fancy lighting and a stage with a live jazz band. There were regular tables and booths as well, most of them are taken, but they managed to find an empty booth near one of the corners, and they sat down. A server immediately approached them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good evening, sirs. May I get you something to drink?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A Manhattan, please.” Joey said with a charming smile. Grant recalled seeing the same smile back then, when he was at the server’s position. “Grant?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I, yeah, uh. I’ll take the same.” He managed to utter out. The waiter bowed, then walked away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grant scratched the back of his hand nervously. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He didn’t feel like he belonged here. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Sure, it was nice; hell, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>very nice</span>
  </em>
  <span> (he didn’t want to think about the money he’ll have to pay for one drink, though). But it just wasn’t his world. He didn’t even go out to regular pubs, he didn’t really drink at all, and even if he did, it was some simple (and cheap) wine, not some fancy cocktail he had no idea about. He started to arrange the stuff on the table, aligning everything perfectly, kind of as an automatic activity for him to calm down, when he felt a hand on his own. He looked up, his eyes met Joey’s cold blue gaze, and he blushed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You seem so troubled. Chill out, Grantie! We’re here to enjoy ourselves. You really don’t have much fun, huh?” Their drinks arrived while Joey was speaking, and he instantly took a sip, followed by a satisfied hum.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grant did the same before answering. “I.. guess I’m used to different kinds of fun, Mr. Drew.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Told ya’, save the ‘Mr. Drew’ for the Studio, or if I decide to tie you down and fuck you hard.” Joey flashed him a mischievous smirk, and Grant’s face became even redder. He looked away a bit in embarrassment. “So tell me, what do you do for fun? Solve intricate math problems?” Joey joked, but he wasn’t very far from the truth, actually. And what was wrong with that? Grant loved numbers, numbers were logical, he understood them. Unlike the man in front of him. Joey made no sense. Why was he acting </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>different right now? He was being </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was so unlike his usual behavior and personality that it deeply confused Grant. He struggled to comprehend Joey, and it made him uneasy. Like most things he couldn’t logically analyze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have some more of that.” Joey pointed at his drink, which he barely touched </span>
  <em>
    <span>(Joey on the other hand had already ordered a second one). </span>
  </em>
  <span>“It will help. I’ll get you another later. Trust me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Trust him. </span>
  </em>
  <span>That was something he found extremely challenging. But nevertheless, Grant complied. At this point, there was really nothing much to lose. Might just as well try to enjoy himself, right? He started drinking the cocktail, and the more he had, the more he liked it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Joey was correct.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grant became significantly chattier as time passed and empty glasses started to pile up on their table. They also got closer to eachother, now sitting in the darker corner of the booth, only a few inches separating them. Joey was leaning closer to Grant, one hand on his thigh, speaking quietly and softly. Grant could smell the alcohol on his breath, but being quite light-headed himself, he really didn't mind it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I still remember the first time we met, Grant." Joey chuckled as he whispered, almost directly to Grant's ear. "I found you adorable. You know, if.. if certain situations were different, I would have taken you home that instant~."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grant knew that those "<em>c</em></span>
  <em>
    <span>ertain situations</span>
  </em>
  <span>" referred to Henry, and he would have gotten a tad jealous, if it weren't for his current state. He couldn't care less at the moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"And I woulda' happily obliged." He smiled sheepishly. "I just don't usually go for my employer, y'know.."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Well, it's fine when he goes for you though, huh?" Joey squeezed down a little on his thigh. Grant let out a faint moan, as Joey started to move his hand, up and down, getting dangerously close to his forming erection. "I could go for you right now, actually.. I think I'll make up for my past lost opportunity, and take you home tonight~."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Gosh, yes, Joey.. please." He whined. "L-let's just go, and.."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't you want to enjoy this nice jazz a bit more?" Joey gave him a half smile. "Do you like it?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-I do, but.. I'd like </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> more.." Grant's hand wandered up to Joey's dark hair, grabbed a stray curl and started toying with that. Deep down, he was completely stunned about his own altered behavior, but it was far too easy to just blame it on the booze, and ignore thinking more of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Needy, are we? It was a good idea to bring you here after all. You're way too shy to say what you </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>want, but I like being direct, Mr. Cohen.. You might wanna remember this. If you want something from </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you'll have to ask straight to the point. And you shall receive~." With that, Joey adjusted his hand, touching the other man's length through the trousers, eliciting a moan from Grant, which he quickly silenced with a kiss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N-not in public..” Grant pulled back slightly, but Joey took a hand to the back of his neck, keeping him close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one is paying attention to us. And we’re in a dark corner.. alone.. I could just go down on you right here, right now…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grant swallowed hard and shook his head. As much as the touches felt good, and he wanted </span>
  <em>
    <span>more, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he had that much of a common sense to not get </span>
  <em>
    <span>too </span>
  </em>
  <span>improper in some posh club. Not anymore than they already acted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah, I’m just teasin’ you.” Joey let out a satisfied laugh, seemingly very pleased with Grant’s reactions. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He really should have gotten used to his weird sense of humor by now. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Let me just get the check, and we’re heading back to my place~.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, Joey stood up and disappeared towards the bar. And Grant was only mildly surprised that Joey was gonna pay for him too (</span>
  <em>
    <span>he might just deduct it from his next paycheck or so)</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He put on his suit jacket and prepared for leaving. Joey returned relatively fast, reached out with one hand to help him up from his seated position, and they left.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their conversation in the car was already quite suggestive, but also just.. </span>
  <em>
    <span>sweet</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Joey reassured him that he lives nearby, asked how he felt about the night, and he was genuinely kind during their whole trip. Grant started to wonder if this was really the man he knew for </span>
  <em>
    <span>years </span>
  </em>
  <span>and worked with him for the same amount of time</span>
  <em>
    <span>. It was incredibly hard to believe. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The Joey he <em>knew</em> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>Joey were two entirely different people. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Was he right all along? Is he really just nice to his partners, and keeps his awful behavior to his employees? Or maybe this was drunk Joey? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He didn’t seem all </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>drunk, but he still had quite a few cocktails in him. Who knows what effects could it have on him; the only time he’d seen him with alcohol was when they met.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Grant really wanted to believe that Joey is simply not the person he appears on the surface. </span>
  <em>
    <span>And it’s quite possible, right? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He was thinking logically. Why else would </span>
  <em>
    <span>Henry </span>
  </em>
  <span>be with him, if not for Joey’s actual nice personality? Before the animator left, he - well, everyone in the Studio actually - always wondered </span>
  <em>
    <span>why on Earth </span>
  </em>
  <span>would that kind-hearted, gentle man be with someone like </span>
  <em>
    <span>Joey. </span>
  </em>
  <span>This could be the only answer. He decided he will not worry for now. </span>
  <span>He playfully raised a finger up to Joey’s face and traced it softly along his cheekbone. The man didn’t take his eyes off the road, but gave Grant a half smile, which he took as a positive sign. Grant wanted to kiss him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once they arrived, they made their way into Joey’s apartment hurriedly. They didn’t hold off for long; after Joey shut the door behind them, he took Grant by the shoulder and pushed him to a nearby wall, kissing him roughly. He didn’t even turn on any lights, so it was rather dark, with only the moonlight shining through the windows.<em> How romantic.</em></span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you wanted this all along, haven’t you?” Joey smirked, as he slid a knee between Grant’s legs, rubbing against him and feeling his already hard member. “Bet this was all you thought about during the night~. Well let’s make your dreams come true, shall we?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grant nodded a few times, very flustered but undeniably excited. Joey backed away, then grabbed his arm. “We’ll go to somewhere a bit more comfy. Come.” And started leading (or more like dragging) him up the stairs (</span>
  <em>
    <span>Grant just then noticed there were stairs; must have been a big apartment, but not much was visible due to the lack of light anyways)</span>
  </em>
  <span>, into a bedroom. He quickly pushed Grant down to the large bed, getting on top of him. Grant found Joey’s hanging tie and pulled the man down to himself for another whiskey and orange-flavored kiss. He felt Joey’s hand roaming over his body, tracing over every inch of him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He was already reduced to a whimpering mess under the man’s hands, and they didn’t even start yet. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Joey found his shirt buttons, and began undoing them one by one, going lower to undo his belt after as well. Grant broke their kiss with a louder moan as the other freed his hard member from his pants and gave it a firm stroke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“J-Joey, please.. can we skip the teasing?” Grant let out a shaky breath. “I.. I want..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me what you want, then~.” Joey himself seemed very content with the whole situation. He helped Grant out of his pants completely, then unzipped his own trousers and hastily got out of them as well. He stroked his own length a few times, while not looking away from Grant, relishing in the younger man’s frustration. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It was beautiful.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You.. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I want you, just, please..” His hands instinctively clutched onto Joey’s shirt, as if hoping that pulling the man closer would speed up things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright then.. Let’s see what I can do for you~.” Joey broke out of the grasp, then reached for his nightstand drawer. He took out something that Grant suspected could be a bottle of lubrication. “So, do you want my fingers first, or wanna get right into action?” He could almost </span>
  <em>
    <span>hear </span>
  </em>
  <span>Joey smirk. He was about to answer (</span>
  <em>
    <span>he wasn’t sure, what) </span>
  </em>
  <span>when Joey was hit by the realization. “Oh.. right. You’ve never done this before, correct?” Grant nodded shyly, and Joey sighed. “Well, it’s gonna be harder than I thought, but don’t worry~. I’ll make you feel good, promise~.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The words already helped him ease up slightly. Joey poured some of the liquid into his palm, then spread the legs of the man under him, and rubbed a finger against his hole. He trembled from both the cold and the unusual feeling, but it was.. definitely pleasant. He let out an almost inaudible sigh. Then he felt the finger pushing inside him, and he arched his back slightly, moaning. Joey continued thrusting, soon adding a second finger and searching for his prostate. When Grant cried out louder, he knew he found it. He began focusing on that spot, followed by Grant’s whimpers. His body was trembling, while he raised his arm and hid his face behind the crook of it, desperately trying to conceal his moans. Joey, while not stopping his movements, grabbed Grant’s arm with his free hand and yanked it away from his face. “Don’t. I want to see you.~” He purred. Grant’s light brown locks were all over his face, cheeks crimson, his eyes half-lidded and filled with need and affection. Joey couldn’t help but blush a little himself. “Gods, you’re beautiful.” He muttered almost incomprehensibly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“J-Joey.. I’m near..” Grant managed to stammer out as he felt his release approaching.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey needed more too. He pulled out of the man under him, making him whine a little in frustration, then positioned himself at his entrance. He lowered his body down, so their faces were just inches away. “I hope you’re ready.. Not sure if I’ll be gentle.” He whispered to Grant, then with one swift motion, he pushed his entire length inside. Before Grant could make a sound, Joey pressed their lips together, then slowly started to thrust into the whimpering man under him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grant wrapped his hands around Joey’s neck, fingers entwined in the dark locks. At first he felt pain, but it shortly turned into pure pleasure as Joey’s movements became faster and directed to his prostate. He, again, started to get very close to climax. He was about to reach down with a shaky hand to give some attention to his neglected member, when he felt Joey’s fingers wrapping around it, and moving with the rhythm of his thrusts. He couldn’t hold back anymore. With a cry of Joey’s name, he finally came into the other’s hand and to his abdomen. Joey followed after a few more rougher thrusts, panting and groaning. They were both still shaking, but Joey moved the hand he formerly used to hold himself up on the bed and entwined his fingers with Grant’s, to the accountant’s greatest surprise. He didn’t pull away though; he weakly reciprocated the loving gesture. And they just laid like that for a while, silently, and it was nice. Everything was alright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They fell asleep not very long after, next to eachother.</span><br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Grant woke up in the morning, his first instinct <em>(</em></span>
  <em>
    <span>as soon as he recalled what happened) </span>
  </em>
  <span>was to look over the other side of the bed. Joey was gone. He hastily woke up, put on his glasses and collected his clothes, then exited the room to look for the bath. He found the room, cleaned himself and dressed up, then made his way downstairs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a little time to look around now, since yesterday he basically saw nothing of the place. It was a large, fancy house, obviously showing that Joey was quite the wealthy man. He traced a hand along the rails of the staircase as he was walking down; some precious wood, that perfectly mirrored his reflection back to him. He frowned a bit - couldn’t help but think on how underpaid they all were in the Studio. </span>
  <em>
    <span>But it’s fine. Turns out Joey’s nice, right? Just be happy for that.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he found himself in a large living room of the same design. There were fine furniture and even a piano (</span>
  <em>
    <span>he doubted Joey could play it), </span>
  </em>
  <span>but what caught his eyes was something entirely different. He stepped to a wall, and raised his hand to carefully touch a piece of framed picture hanging there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Henry. With Joey. The animator had one arm wrapped around Joey’s waist, and the taller man was pulling Henry into a half-embrace by his shoulders. They looked </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>happy. And there were also some text written on the glass. ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>You’ll always be in my heart. We’ll build up our dreams together, I promise.’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>and a date of two years ago. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Around the time Henry left. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Grant felt a weird tightening in his chest, followed by.. something like an ache. But he wasn’t sure if he felt pain for the man who was abandoned, or </span>
  <em>
    <span>for himself.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing there?” Joey’s strict voice took him back to the present. He spinned around to meet Joey’s emotionless expression. The man was folding his arms across his chest, and he certainly didn’t seem happy. Not angry either, at least, but definitely not happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m.. I’m sorry. I just looked around.” He shrugged, trying to sound casual when he noticed his voice had a little falter in it. He wasn’t sure how to act. He kind of wanted to hug Joey <em>(</em></span>
  <em>
    <span>and maybe tell him how it’s all right and he’s here for him; but he wasn’t exactly sure how reassuring it would be, if at all)</span>
  </em>
  <span>, or maybe just kind of run away. Joey’s threatening presence was back, and it scared him slightly, even after everything that happened between them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay.. okay..” He hummed. “Well, are you ready for another day of work, Mr. Cohen?” Joey smiled, but it felt a bit forced. Like when one’s trying to be polite, despite wanting to kick the other person’s ass. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That </span>
  </em>
  <span>kind of forced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.. I am, Joey.” <em>It was all so odd.</em> “Are we.. are you.. uhm, gonna drive me there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t, unfortunately.” The answer came immediately. “I have some other business to tend to before work. I’m sorry to say this, but you’ll have to walk. Luckily, the Studio is quite close by. Do you think you’ll find your way there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah, there it was. </span>
  <em>
    <span>The question that wasn’t really a question. </span>
  </em>
  <span>So Grant just nodded as usual, and hesitantly started walking towards the front door. Joey was standing at the entrance of what looked like the kitchen. As Grant passed him, they exchanged a look, and he tried to </span>
  <em>
    <span>read </span>
  </em>
  <span>Joey. What he thought he saw in those eyes were a hint of sorrow, but mostly just coldness. Sharp and unfeeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So.. next time, then..” Grant cleared his throat, reaching out for the door handle with a slightly trembling hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Take care.” Joey nodded, then turned back to the kitchen. He left Grant alone without any further words or explanation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stepped out of Joey’s house. </span>
  <em>
    <span>At least he recognized the surroundings. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He couldn’t even think of anything while walking to the Studio, nor during his day of work. He wasn’t even sure if he ate anything that day. He didn’t see Joey though, that he was certain of. And that he had a strange pang in his heart, which he didn’t want to wonder the reason for.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. An Act</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Joey and Grant go to see a theatre play together, and Grant is starting to suspect that there might be more to Joey than he shows. Maybe he does have emotions after all.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Grant’s confusion just grew greater as days have passed. He caught glimpses of Joey around the Studio regularly, but they never had a proper conversation, especially not about the events of that day. It’s not like Joey was rude to him; he didn’t seem mad either. He was just.. his usual self. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Grant’s boss. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Nodding slightly as a greeting, polite but emotionless smiles, formal tone. Nothing that would indicate there was something between them.. if there was at all. Sometimes Grant was seriously thinking if he just happened to dream the events - he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>have surprisingly vivid dreams before. But then again, the feelings and the ache were all too real to be just a fragment of his imagination.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nevertheless, he couldn’t do anything. Or maybe he </span>
  <em>
    <span>could have, </span>
  </em>
  <span>like confronting Joey, talking things through with him or so, like </span>
  <em>
    <span>regular people</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but he knew that he would never be able to. He was way too self-conscious, and way too afraid to lose his job. So he simply just went on with that - his job. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That he was good at.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s been a week at that point since Grant’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>affair </span>
  </em>
  <span>with Joey. He was getting particularly frustrated and a little more irritable than usual. Each time Wally brought him some papers, he frantically brushed through them, hoping for another note, maybe some explanation, maybe another invitation, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but the silence was truly awful for him. There hadn’t been a day when he didn’t wonder what he could have done wrong. And his colleagues noticed his odd behavior as well; especially one Sammy Lawrence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Grant, what is up with you lately?” The blond musician asked him, then took another bite of his sandwich. “Like.. you’re even more gloomy than normally.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were sitting in the lunch area, having their midday break; which Grant usually didn’t even use up, but this time he just couldn’t focus on work anymore - so he went down as well, to grab a cup of coffee. The music director spotted him as soon as he entered the hall. Grant was by himself at a table, staring into his coffee with a blank mind. He didn’t even notice Sammy first, but the gentle slap on his back yanked him back to reality.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fine, Sammy.” He sighed, and took another sip of coffee. “It’s just wo..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, nah.” Sammy interrupted. “It’s not ‘just work’ this time. I’m not dumb. I can see something’s eatin’ at you. Talk to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really, I don’t wanna pester you with my troubles..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh come on.” Sammy’s voice was quite gentle, he didn’t even raise it as usual. He was speaking in a low tone; he could </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel </span>
  </em>
  <span>that this was a more serious matter. “I keep complaining to you about Susie and Norman and Jack and.. everyone.” He laughed a bit, as an attempt to ease up Grant. “I mean, we’re friends, alright? You can tell me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Grant rolled his eyes, but he was actually flattered by Sammy’s kind words. It wasn’t a side of the musician he saw often. He was generally temperamental and even shouted at his colleagues regularly. Grant knew he had a soft side; it’s just that he didn’t get to experience it a lot. He did like it, though. With a deep inhale, he decided that sharing his worries might actually help him relax.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well.. so there’s this.. person I like.” He swallowed hard. He didn’t want to tell Sammy it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Joey </span>
  </em>
  <span>(of all people)</span>
  <em>
    <span>. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He knew it would sound ridiculous to the music director. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I can’t imagine Henry with that awful man’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>he said once; </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I bet he’s threatenin’ him or so.’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>Yes, Sammy definitely hated Joey. Grant would not mention him. “But it feels like he’s toying with me, kind of.. Once he’s nice, the next day he’s ignoring me. I don’t know what to make of his intentions.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sammy hummed a little, indicating that he’s thinking the situation through. “I get it, Grant. That sounds terrible. And, to be fair.. not something a good person would do. You shouldn’t keep people in the dark. Why do you even like him?” Sammy finished his sandwich, then his eyes lit up in curiosity. “Is he our colleague? Do I know him?” He added, and Grant blushed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He.. he is, yes.” He sighed, figuring it would be pointless to hide that fact from Sammy; he already knew it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Damn his obvious reactions. He really needed to work on a poker face.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thought so.. Now I could go on and try to guess </span>
  <em>
    <span>who,</span>
  </em>
  <span> but I’ll leave it up to you, whether you want to share the info with me or not. But I’ll say one thing, Grant.. don’t let people play you. You’re such a nice guy, and others will always try to take advantage of it, you have to </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>let them.” Sammy gave Grant a half smile, and wrapped an arm around the accountant’s shoulder; a friendly gesture that was much appreciated. Grant smiled back faintly, nodded, and leaned into the kind-of-hug. It was truly reassuring.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, Sammy. I’ll.. I’ll try my best.” He chuckled lightly.<br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And that was the moment Joey Drew stepped into the lunchroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Most people didn’t pay attention to him; after all it was their break, so Joey wouldn’t make them do work. He was ignorable. Besides, he must have come here to just eat as well. While he usually had his meals in his own office, it wasn’t all that weird to see him around the Studio. Yes, people kept chatting and disregarding their boss for now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But not Grant. He instantly spotted the man when he came to view; and Joey noticed him too. Grant glanced up at Joey, who met his gaze briefly. It was all the same, emotionless look on Joey’s face, except.. Grant noticed the tiniest change in his expression. Joey looked them over; first Grant, then he saw Sammy, and that was when a small hint of distress got visible. For Grant at least. He was always pretty good at reading people - maybe not deeply, but on the surface, in the analyzing level, where he could logically distinguish little indications in body language - he was an </span>
  <em>
    <span>expert. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Even though Joey was incredibly hard to figure out, he was almost certain that he saw a slight grief in his eyes. And it surprised him nonetheless.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then Joey turned away, minding his business; whatever it was. But Grant.. he got visibly flustered. Sammy looked at him, raising a brow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ya’ okay? You’re phasing out. That bastard is here.” He scoffed, referring to Joey. “Did he hurt you or somethin’? If he did..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No!” This came out way more emotional than Grant planned. He instantly lowered his voice. “N-no. He didn’t do anything. I.. I think I’ll go now, Sammy. Need to finish work. And, you know.. thanks for everything.” He gently unwrapped himself from Sammy’s embrace, and swiftly walked away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sammy just stared after him, slightly fazed. He was thinking, trying to put pieces together. He turned his head towards Joey, who now was leaning against a kitchen counter, drinking from a cup, and looking.. </span>
  <em>
    <span>after Grant. </span>
  </em>
  <span>With a rather peculiar face expression, that made Sammy wonder. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What happened with these two? Did Joey give Grant extra work again? Did Grant dare to speak up about Joey’s money-wasting? Or maybe.. maybe..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It only crossed Sammy’s mind for a moment, that there might be something entirely different between Joey and Grant. Something that’s more related to what Grant told him just now. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That the ‘colleague’ he talked about was in fact Joey Drew himself. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But he shooed these thoughts away instantly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That would be ridiculous. Grant knows better.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a sigh, he too stood up to head back to his department. After all, those silly cartoon songs weren’t gonna write themselves.</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Later that day, as Grant was mindlessly hunching over his desk, doing the usual documentation, a brief knock snapped him out of work. He winced, focusing his attention to the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come in.” He said with a tired voice. Whoever it was, he hoped they won’t bother for long.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>These thoughts instantly changed as the door creaked open, and a particularly tall </span>
  <em>
    <span>(and handsome) </span>
  </em>
  <span>individual stepped inside his office.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“J- Mr. Drew.” Grant cleared his throat and looked up to the man that just entered. There were so many things he wanted to say and ask; but instead, all that came out was: “H-How may I help you?” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Great.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey Grant~.” Joey smiled widely. And he.. </span>
  <em>
    <span>he was nice again. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Grant felt his heartbeat speed up. As much as he was angry at the man for keeping him in the dark, he couldn’t deny his returning hopes and feelings. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe just one more chance. He could give him that. He wanted to believe. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“So, I was wondering if you would like to join me tomorrow to see a theatre play~.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Grant was only mildly astounded at the sudden proposition. The first thing that occurred to him, though, was something different.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That.. is way too pricey. I don’t think I have spare money for that right now, Mr. D..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m paying. I already got the tickets, Grantie~! You and I, we’re going. How’s that?” Joey walked up closer to him in the meanwhile, and casually sat down on his desk. He placed a palm on the surface and leaned on the arm, giving side glances to Grant that he might would have described as.. suggestive. </span>
  <em>
    <span>And it totally worked. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He was blushing furiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-Yes.” He nodded finally. “I guess I can do that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great!” Joey slammed his hand on the desk, startling Grant a little, then he jumped back on his feet. “See me after work. Then we’ll go and change. I’ll have a fancy suit ready for you. And then, we’ll have fun. That’s the plan~.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds.. sounds fine.” Grant shrugged and nodded. He wasn’t very sure how he’s supposed to act. Joey was truly unpredictable.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s gonna be splendid, don’t ya’ worry~.” Joey gave him a wink before turning heel, getting ready to leave. He took a few steps towards the entrance, then abruptly stopped, and turned his head back. “Grant?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Grant raised a brow. He fully believed that Joey would just leave without any further word, as was his habit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is there.. is there anything between you and Sammy Lawrence?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Grant choked on air. He expected anything, </span>
  <em>
    <span>but that. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Of course not.” He stammered after a few seconds of being stunned. “Why would you even ask that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey rolled his eyes. “Because I saw you two </span>
  <em>
    <span>cuddling </span>
  </em>
  <span>in the lunch area, is why.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W-Wha.. No!” Even though the accusations were definitely not true, he got embarrassed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>For no reason, again. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Sammy is my friend. We were talking.." </span>
  <em>
    <span>About you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Grant added mentally, but "About work." was what he said out loudly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhm.” Joey hummed and sighed, almost as if he was relieved. “Alright then, Grant. See you tomorrow~.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And with that, he left at last, slamming the door behind himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Grant inhaled deeply, contemplating what had just happened. Another date. Joey is kind again. And.. </span>
  <em>
    <span>that question. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Grant couldn’t put </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>anywhere. What could have been the reason behind it? It sounded a bit.. jealous? </span>
  <em>
    <span>But that would be ridiculous, right? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Why would he be jealous, when he doesn’t even seem </span>
  <em>
    <span>interested </span>
  </em>
  <span>in being with Grant? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes, it must have been something else. One more thing to add to the list of Joey’s peculiarities.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sat back and exhaled deeply. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No, he won’t get all distressed this time because of Joey. Sammy was right - he shouldn’t let anyone use him. He was a nice person and he deserved more. And if Joey’s not gonna end up appreciating his company, then he might just as well deny it from him. One more shot, that’s it. Yes, he’s gonna stick to that plan.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At least he really wanted to believe he’ll have the power to.</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>---</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Next day evening approached surprisingly quickly. Grant didn’t even notice when the clock hit five, and it was time to go. He swiftly left the office with his heart in his throat, trying to calm down a bit during the whole way to Joey’s, with more and less success. As he was drawing near, he caught a sight of Joey. He was standing outside of his office, leaning on to the door, arms crossed. Grant was taken aback, wondering if he ran late or something, which might have angered the man, but his worries faded when Joey noticed him and he saw his sincere expression. He smiled, waved to Grant, then headed towards him as well. They met halfway, and the tall man instantly wrapped an arm around his shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good to see you Grant! Are you ready? Let’s go, my car’s outside, we still have to change and all~!” </span>
  <em>
    <span>He sounded genuinely excited.</span>
  </em>
  <span> And Grant couldn’t help but smile softly. Joey might have not always been nice (quite the opposite), but there was just something charming about seeing him honestly happy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe the whole reason behind it was the very fact that it didn’t occur often.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Everything happened so fast. Joey lead Grant out of the Studio, they got into his car, and drove to Joey’s place. They walked inside the apartment, and this time Joey turned on a light. Grant glanced around, feeling a bit guilty for the previous occasion </span>
  <em>
    <span>(even though he did nothing wrong) </span>
  </em>
  <span>and he only dared to take a swift peek at the place he remembered </span>
  <em>
    <span>the picture </span>
  </em>
  <span>was last time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was turned backwards, facing the wall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come, I got you the suit as I promised.” Joey chuckled, and carefully grabbed Grant’s hand. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He didn’t seem to notice Grant’s drifting gaze, which was probably for the best. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Of course, you’ll have to change into it.. Want me to help~?” With that, he stepped in front of Grant, and cupped his cheek in one palm. Grant’s face heated up as Joey stroked the skin with a thumb. “I missed you, Grantie~. Did you miss me?” He waited for Grant to nod, which he did with a gulp, then gave him a half smile. “Thought so~. Well, let’s make up for the lost time then, shall we?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He leaned down and placed a soft peck on Grant’s lips, making him sigh a bit. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, yes. He did miss him a lot. He almost forgot how soft those lips were, and how good his touches felt. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He shyly requited it, expecting </span>
  <em>
    <span>(wanting)</span>
  </em>
  <span> Joey to deepen the kiss, but instead he parted from him and leaned to his ears to whisper. “That was the preview. You’ll have to come home with me later if you’d like more~.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Well that was new. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Grant, however, has fully taken his words into consideration.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come now, let’s prepare ourselves.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Joey led him to what looked like a bedroom that hasn’t been used for a while - if at all. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe a guest bedroom</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Does he ever have guests? It didn’t seem like.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Joey gestured towards the bed, so Grant hesitantly sat down, trying to stay as still as possible to not ruin the nicely made, fresh sheets. Joey meanwhile walked up to a wardrobe, shuffled around a little, then took out a pack of neatly folded clothes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There.” He handed them to Grant, who, astoundedly, reached out and accepted the pile. “Put them on, I’ll get mines. I’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>love </span>
  </em>
  <span>to stay and have some fun, but we’ll be late, y’know~. Just wait me in the hall once ready.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And he left Grant alone in the room. He was still mildly confused, but did as the man ordered, and started changing. He was wondering if the thing will even </span>
  <em>
    <span>fit him. How would Joey know his size?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It fit, roughly. It wasn’t a bespoke suit </span>
  <em>
    <span>(obviously), </span>
  </em>
  <span>but it did the job. It was only one or two sizes larger than him, which was quite a surprise, to be fair. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It couldn’t be Joey’s; he was taller than Grant. But then whose? Or.. did Joey really just got him this, new and all?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>These ideas quickly shattered, as he was putting the jacket on, and.. something fell from it. It was a piece of paper. Grant bent down and pinched it between two fingers, as he began reading it. It was an old receipt - of the very suit he was wearing. And the name on it read.. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Henry Stein.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Grant felt a lump in his throat, and his face darkened. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So it wasn’t even meant for him. It was Henry’s. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Grant wasn’t sure if the receipt was left there for a reason. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Could this be a sick game Joey is playing with him? To show him how he doesn’t matter? That it’s all about being an alternative choice, since Henry’s not around?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Or could it all just be an accident? Maybe Joey didn’t mean it. Maybe he didn’t notice it was inside.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Either way, Grant felt a bit sick. For some mysterious reason though, he decided he won’t bring this up. </span>
  <em>
    <span>For now. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He’ll try to enjoy the evening, try not to worry about </span>
  <em>
    <span>how he is just a replacement. </span>
  </em>
  <span>To prevent further overthinking, he simply smoothed the paper out and placed it on a dressing table, then grabbed the jacket and left the room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Joey was waiting for him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>And damn, Grant had to admit he was smoking hot in his fancy outfit.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He smiled as Grant approached. His stomach flipped a little in a not-so-pleasant way, but he too forced a smile on his face. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Joey seemed genuine, at least. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“It looks amazing on you. I’m.. glad you decided to come along.” He caressed Grant’s shoulder with a careful touch. “We’ll go to 46th Street. They playin’ </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Dark of the Moon*. </span>
  </em>
  <span>You ever seen a theatre play, Grant?” He eyed Grant expectantly while leading him once again back to the car. Grant shook his head no as he hopped into the vehicle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A drama, though?” Grant couldn’t help but chuckle. He had half-forgotten the whole receipt-affair. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He tried hard to. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Wouldn’t expect you to like such stuff.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll have you know Grant, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>enjoy all kinds of fine arts.” Joey flashed a half smile. “Especially stage plays. And I’m sure you will, too~. Or at least the afterplay~.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Grant turned to Joey. He was grinning wide, and looked at the accountant for a second, before focusing on the road again. After a moment of silence, Grant couldn’t help but laugh out heartily, and Joey followed suit. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It was all just so.. serene. Such a domestic picture. Him and Joey laughing at a joke in his car, while going to see a theatre play together. He hated to admit that he could get used to this. That he loved this. He loved -</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re here.” Joey patted his knee as a way of yanking him back to reality. Grant blinked a few times, then swiftly turned his head around to get out of the car. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He wanted to hide his embarrassed blushing that he caused for himself. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Shall we go, partner?” Joey stepped next to him, placing a palm on the small of his back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Grant couldn’t utter a word, but he nodded twice, and so they made their way into the large building.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They had a booth for themselves. Turned out Joey didn’t cut corners on </span>
  <span>his </span>
  <span><em>personal</em> entertainment. But it also meant they could get rather </span>
  <em>
    <span>intimate </span>
  </em>
  <span>without having to fear prying eyes. And that is exactly what Joey aimed for.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you even watching the play?” Grant sighed, as Joey was kissing his neck while stroking his chest and shoulders. He had his fingers entwined in Joey’s dark hair, half wanting to tell him to get off because </span>
  <em>
    <span>not in a public place, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but the </span>
  <em>
    <span>stronger </span>
  </em>
  <span>half </span>
  <em>
    <span>(including his stiffening erection) </span>
  </em>
  <span>pulled the man even closer and enjoyed every little touch he received.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seen it already.” Joey mumbled into the crook of Grant's neck, pushing down the bands of the accountant’s dress shirt to lightly trace his tongue along the his collarbone. “Barbara dies. Bam.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you have to ruin it?” Grant let out a sound that was a mixture between a chuckle and a moan. “I-ah, I was really interested..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Were you? I think you’re more interested in me~.” Joey retorted cheekily, and he lowered a hand to place it on Grant’s inner thigh. The touch made him shiver, and he involuntarily bucked his hip a bit forward, as if asking for more. “See?” Joey sneered. “You need me. You belong to me. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You can’t leave me.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey was still whispering, but the last words came out in a way that made Grant.. a bit more self aware. Like a cold shower. He looked up to face Joey, and he saw.. anguish. A bittersweet smile. But among these, there was also </span>
  <em>
    <span>affection. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And a hint of desperation. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“You can’t.. right?” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Joey mumbled almost inaudibly as he grabbed into Grant’s shirt, and pulled him into a passionate kiss.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Grant didn’t object. Something about the tone of Joey’s voice, along with what he said made him forget all his personal battles with his own dubious feelings. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Joey needed comfort. Was it all he needed from Grant? Possibly. But Grant couldn’t just deny it from him. He cursed himself a little for being so compassionate, but that’s how he’d always been. Well, it’s not like this all was unpleasant or anything.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s bail and go back home.” Joey muttered between kisses, and already began getting on his feet and pulling Grant with himself. “C’mon, I.. I want you.” He added in a breathy voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Grant reluctantly gave in </span>
  <em>
    <span>(he actually liked the play - but as Joey pointed out, he did indeed like the man much more)</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and stood up to follow Joey, who was holding onto his hand and tugging on his shirt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Grant looked back at the stage for a second before they left the booth, and as they started walking away, he still heard the last bit of a song;</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“And ‘neath the darkness of the moon,</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Their love’s entwined forever.”*</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They left the building while not letting go of eachother for a moment, then drove back to Joey’s. Joey was already getting impatient in the car and kept turning his attention to Grant, and he constantly needed to remind him that he’s driving. But they did arrive finally, and Joey instantly pulled Grant to himself as soon as they entered the house.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Woah.. S-Slow down, Joey.. You might damage the suit..” Grant panted while Joey was kissing him, and nearly tearing off his shirt. He was pretty sure one button was already on the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So? I’ll get you another one.” He muttered, and didn’t stop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Grant squirmed a little, but it wasn’t much of a protest. He also almost added that ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>yeah, this is Henry’s suit though’, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but luckily he wasn’t out of his right mind </span>
  <em>
    <span>yet. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He just sighed resignedly, and requited the other’s touches with increasing fervor as he began to loosen up and enjoy the situation. Joey was acting.. </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He traced light kisses along his neck, embraced him, and constantly whispered sweet little nothings. Even while he was dragging Grant up to his bedroom like before, and then thrusting into him, he was considerate and generous, he was just.. loving. And every moment was pleasurable. Grant was left a whimpering mess after they were done, but Joey didn’t stop being enchanting. He insisted on showering together, then gave him fresh clothes </span>
  <em>
    <span>(some of his own this time), </span>
  </em>
  <span>and cuddled up to him in bed. Joey fell asleep first, but before that happened, Grant was sure he heard him mutter something along the lines of </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘don’t leave’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘love you’</span>
  </em>
  <span>; but he wasn’t entirely sure. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Besides, if that was the case, those words were probably not meant for him anyways.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he drifted off, Grant was wondering how unfortunate it is that Joey, who he thought was an absolute jerk, had actually so much to give, but no one to give to. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, rather, not the one he wanted to give to</span>
  </em>
  <span>. How he was left behind by the only person he needed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunate and heartbreaking indeed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But it was the same for Grant. At least that's how he felt.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span>Grant woke up alone. </span><em><span>“Here we go again.”</span></em><span> He muttered under his breath with a groan. He was very reluctant to go down, so he took his time grooming and dressing up. </span><em><span>All he needed is to not be late for work, which was going to be easy, since it was still pretty early. Otherwise, why would he rush?</span></em> <em><span>To be rejected earlier?</span></em></p>
<p>
  <span>But of course, he had to go down at some point. He walked the stairs with heavy steps, and mentally prepared himself for Joey returning to his usual </span>
  <em>
    <span>jerk self</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Once there, he cautiously glanced around, looking for Joey, but he could only hear some faint rustling from the kitchen. Taken it was in the way to the entrance anyways, he strolled towards the sound, and curiously checked inside the room. He almost bumped into a very hurried and seemingly nervous Joey as he was coming out of the kitchen area.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“O-oh. Grant, you’re awake.” He sounded different than last time. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe there’s hope? </span>
  </em>
  <span>“I was.. about to head off. Some business, y’know.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, that shattered quickly. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Anyways, I made some breakfast.. help yourself. And I left a key on the table, just lock the door and throw it in the mail slot, I-” Joey realized he was rambling; he buried his face in his hands for a second, taking a deep breath. “I better go.” He shrugged, then turned on his heel to leave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Grant was speechless. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What was that? That was definitely not 'being a jerk'. Joey sounded.. troubled?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Either way, he wasn’t gonna let him go. Not this time. He dreaded the thought of repeating the whole scenario they went through the past weeks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gathered all his confidence, and lurched forward to grab into Joey’s arm as an attempt to stop him. He got hold of the man’s suit jacket sleeve, which made him turn around and raise a brow. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He didn’t seem mad. Alright, so far so good.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you leaving me? Why are you acting like </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Grant blurted out, he couldn’t even think it through. It was all an impulse. “If there is something wrong, why won’t you tell me? I thought.. I.. That we..” There was so much he wanted to express, but the words just didn’t seem to come.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Acting like what, Grant?” Joey inquired. He was genuinely surprised, or at least played it very well. Like he had no idea. No idea that his actions have consequences. “I’m simply going to work. I advise you the same-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. No, we need to talk. Listen, Joey..” Grant sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose, which action made his glasses slide up a little. He adjusted them, and looked the man in the eye. He saw.. confusion. “I understand you got your own problems. We all do. But you can’t possibly keep doing this. You.. can’t just pull me out whenever you feel like, like I’m some toy you have fun with occasionally and then put it on a shelf and forget about it for weeks. I’m a human being, Joey.. I.. I have feelings, y’know..” Grant’s voice broke slightly at the end, which he really didn’t like. He truly wanted to appear levelheaded and all, </span>
  <em>
    <span>but it was the hardest thing ever.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wha.. I don’t get you, Grant..” Joey muttered, and scratched his chin. “What are you talking about? Are you not having fun? I’m paying for everything, you don’t need to worry, and if you’re uncomfortable with anything in bed, we could always stop, and..”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I.. What I mean is, this all is quite enjoyable, and I’m grateful for the treats, but, on an emotional level, Joey-” Grant shook his head and inhaled deeply. “On an emotional level, you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>killing </span>
  </em>
  <span>me. Keeping me uncertain, acting like you don’t even know me, and being so cold to me, it’s just.. Joey, it’s horrible.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I still don’t understand.” Joey rolled his eyes. He was getting slightly annoyed; not by Grant - simply due to the fact that he was absolutely clueless. He gave Grant so much. That, and all the while he never bothered him with </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>feelings. His stupid petty feelings. He hid them so well. He made sure he did.. so Grant wouldn’t leave. What could have possibly gone wrong? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did he screw up again?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Then he remembered.. his slip-up. From the previous day. He got a bit embarrassed as he recalled some of the things he said (he was sincerely hoping Grant missed those, to be honest), and he wasn’t sure how to react anymore. He shrugged a bit, trying to act indifferent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t understand. Of course you don’t. You’re awful and unbelievable, Joey Drew.” Grant scoffed. He turned to the hangers and took his jacket which he left there the previous night. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Because he used Henry’s clothes</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “See you around, I guess. In a week or two when you feel like fucking again, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I guess.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And he pretty much stormed out of Joey’s house, leaving the man stunned. He blinked a few times as a way of processing things, and stared after Grant. For quite a long time, even after he was gone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Joey lowered his head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So he’s gone as well. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He wasn’t exactly sure what should he do. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Run after him? Tell him that he’s sorry and he’d like him to stay? Pour out his heart to him, be all lovey-dovey and hope that Grant won’t leave him, like..</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Henry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Joey frowned, just from the thought of the man. He instinctively looked towards the </span>
  <em>
    <span>picture</span>
  </em>
  <span>, then he remembered he turned it around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he noticed last time how Grant was staring at it, he felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrible. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Like the other found out a dirty little secret. Or being caught cheating. Even though he knew these thoughts were ridiculous, he felt guilty.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He kept it, because it was something that reminded him of the good old days, when everything was just a bit.. simpler. And, of course, Henry was still with him. No, he would never forget Henry, and he also knew that a part of him will always have some feelings towards the animator. </span>
  <em>
    <span>First love does that.</span>
  </em>
  <span> But it’s not like he couldn’t go on. It hurt like hell, sure, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>had to </span>
  </em>
  <span>move on. Eventually. And he did; more or less. He never wished to experience that kind of pain ever again, though. That’s why he was more.. distant with Grant. He was terrified of ruining things, like he did before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stepped to the wall, and gently lifted the picture off the pin. He brushed some dust off it carefully, and sighed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Henry, what should I do now? What would </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>do? You're so much better at this kinda stuff.” He muttered, directing the question to the picture.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The black and white version of Henry didn’t have an answer.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*An actual dramatic stage play from the 40's.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Henry and Joey</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A little throwback on how Henry and Joey began. And Joey finally realizes he screws up everything.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I just realized I basically had this already written so might just as well publish it. Warning for smut and loss of family member(s).</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Joey Drew was a generally cheerful and positive man. He constantly tried to look at the good side of everything, he smiled a lot, and had many dreams and visions which he fully believed in achieving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t always like that, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey was an only child of a middle-class family, from one of the better parts of New York. He wasn’t spoiled, but they didn’t have any problems with everyday needs either. To say Joey had a content childhood would be fitting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was rather shy as a kid. While others preferred to climb trees, play hide and seek or football, and just generally run around all day, he favored drawing. He would go out when the neighboring children called him, but he would just sit down under a tree with his notebook and pen, and sketch. Sometimes the playing boys, sometimes nature, sometimes cartoons. And he had a soft spot for the latter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was eleven when he saw his first ever animated cartoon, and he instantly became a fan. He tried to do his own, just simple figures moving or waving, such as, but it brought him great joy. His biggest childhood dream probably was becoming an animator one day. He even told his parents, but they just shrugged it off as a childish hobby. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You'll grow out of this, </span>
  </em>
  <span>they would say. One time, Joey showed them some of his art that he was really proud of, but his parents simply belittled him. Told him to forget ‘dreaming’, and keep on studying. Because </span>
  <em>
    <span>dreaming will take you nowhere. Dreaming will not feed you and your family.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>So Joey stopped dreaming for a good while. It didn’t mean giving up on drawing, but he started looking at it as a simple hobby. He focused on studying, because that was expected from him. Even more so when he got into high school. He also found less and less time for his cartoons, being forced to resort back to doing quick sketches during breaks between his classes. When he wasn’t doing school work, that is. Definitely not at home; not where his parents might see it. But in the end, this led to his first encounter with Henry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was scribbling in his notebook, sitting alone at his desk as usual. He didn’t have a lot of friends nor feel the need to communicate with his peers; he preferred to be by himself, just getting lost in art. And people let him be. That particular day, however, a voice from behind his back made him jump a little, and ruin a line he was drawing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, those are amazing! Are you an artist?” The voice asked, and Joey finally turned his head to find out who on Earth was the person that bothered him when he was clearly busy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A boy his age, probably a classmate but one he’d never seen before, with messy brown hair and a wide grin looked down at him. “Sorry if I disturbed you.” He still smiled. “I’m Henry, by the way. Henry Stein. I’m new and don’t really know anyone, then I saw you scribbling, so.. yeah. I like doing that myself as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.. Do you?” Joey forgot everything else Henry said when he heard the last bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Henry lightened up again. “I’ll show you, can I sit here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey moved to the inner seat, freeing up his own to Henry, who gratefully sat down next to him, and grabbed a pen from Joey’s stash. “So what’s your name?” Henry looked at him for a second, and then turned back to the paper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Joey.” He responded with a dreamy voice, gazing at the forming figure under Henry’s skilled hand. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>good. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Very good, actually. Even better than his own stuff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, nice to meet you Joey! Hey, wanna draw something together?” Henry tilted his head expectantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds fun!” Joey loosened up, and gave the boy a small smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And they sat together, drew together, and did basically everything together from that day. They became inseparable best friends. As Joey had come to learn, Henry had recently moved to the area and that was his first week in Joey’s school. He didn’t know anyone yet, and just happened to notice Joey having the same hobby as himself. It was a lucky accident, or so he called it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry also learned that Joey was rather self-conscious, and he has a hard time opening up for people. And he was determined to change that. He gave Joey all the attention and care he could, but didn’t rush him in anything. It all paid off. Joey became significantly more positive and cheerful during his times with Henry. He even started dreaming and visioning things again; most of these now included Henry. And Henry wholly supported and encouraged him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joey wasn’t sure when was the point their friendship turned into something more. All he remembered is that one night his parents were away, and he invited Henry over to have some company. They were in their early twenties, second year into university. Not the same one, of course; it was basically already decided for Joey beforehand. His parents wanted him to learn engineering, so he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>learning engineering. It was no question. Henry, on the other hand, had generous and supporting parents and let him decide on everything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re fortunate, Henry.” Joey sighed, as they laid on his bed, next to eachother on their backs, just staring up at the ceiling in the dim-lit room. “I wish I could study art. That’s what I want to do.. and also, then we could spend more time together, y’know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry laughed heartily, and turned his head to look at Joey. “Hey, we still do, right? There isn’t a day when I don’t go and see you in your dorm. I’m over so often, I bet there are hundreds of rumors going around about us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey let out a little laugh. He really was down at the moment, but Henry managed to cheer him up. Like usual.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah I know, Henry. You’re amazing.” Joey sighed. “I don’t know what would I do without you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re pretty great yourself, Joey Drew.” Henry smiled warmly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was silence after that. They didn’t feel like speaking; it was completely enough, to just have eachother nearby. The two laid like that for a good while, when suddenly Joey felt a careful touch on his thigh. He shuddered to the unexpected sensation; but it wasn’t unpleasant. Henry’s hand just lingered there, and it was warm and soft. And then it started moving. Up and down, caressing his thigh, with occasional small squeezes. He let out an involuntary whine, as the feeling started to turn into a </span>
  <em>
    <span>different kind</span>
  </em>
  <span> of pleasurable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Henry..” He breathed out, not being sure what to say. He only contemplated asking the other to stop for a brief second before realizing he </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>want him to stop at all. Moreover, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted him to go on</span>
  </em>
  <span> with whatever he was planning to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry Joey, I just..” Henry sighed, and took his hand away. Then he turned to his side towards Joey.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s.. it’s okay.” Joey blushed, but luckily it wasn’t visible in the dark. He followed Henry’s actions, so they were facing eachother. He shyly reached out and placed a palm on Henry’s cheek. He felt how hot his skin was under his fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t know what got into him when he leaned over to Henry and placed a soft kiss on his lips. But to think about it, he meant to do this for a long time by then. Henry’s fingers slid up and he laced them through Joey’s hair, pulling the man even closer. It made Joey whimper. Henry cautiously traced his tongue over his lips, and Joey parted them with a moan to grant the man entrance. Their kiss deepened and became more and more passionate. They were both panting when they parted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How far can I go?” Henry’s breath grazed his chin, then he felt soft pecks along his jawline and neck. He shivered. His hand automatically wandered down and he placed a palm against Henry’s strong chest, clinging into his shirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah-as far as you’d like.” He let out a small moan. His pants started to get quite uncomfortable; and then, when he thought this all can’t be intensified, Henry slid a thigh between his legs, rubbing against his stiffening cock. He cried out a bit louder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me if you want to stop anytime, love.” Henry muttered into his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then his hand creeped down, and he experimentally stroked Joey's length through his pants. Joey gasped, and pushed his hip forward to meet the touches. Henry's lip curled into a small smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Does that feel good?" He whispered to Joey, and continued with the movements.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-It’s so good, Henry.." Joey's whimpers were needy with an undeniable lust in his voice. Those emotions towards his best friend he tried real hard to suppress began surfacing, all at once, and he was overwhelmed. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Henry, I.. I want you, I love you, I.."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was silenced by a kiss as Henry pulled him close, their bodies squeezing together. Joey held onto him as if letting go might just make Henry disappear, and Henry hugged him tight. He inhaled Henry’s familiar, pleasant scent he loved so much. It was the best feeling in the world; he felt safe, he felt at </span>
  <em>
    <span>home</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I love you too, Joey." He sighed when they stopped kissing for a second. Joey immediately wanted to claim those lips again, but he also really, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> liked what Henry said, and was hoping to hear more. "I always have." Henry swallowed, then carefully rolled them around, so Joey was beneath him. "Would you.. let me express it? I.. I don't have any experience, but I'll make you enjoy it, I promise.."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey couldn’t care less about Henry’s lack of experience, to be honest. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s not like he had any, either.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He nodded several times, and wrapped his arms around Henry’s neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry nodded once too as an acknowledgement, then bent down to trail kisses along Joey’s neck, gradually moving lower. He unbuttoned the dress shirt the other was wearing, and while he gave some extra attention to the man’s chest and abdomen, making Joey squirm, he took his hands down to undo his belt as well. Joey cried out when Henry finally freed his erection from the clothing. He traced the tip with his tongue, then took it in his mouth. Joey hissed as if the touch burned him, when in reality it had to be the most pleasurable sensation he ever experienced; </span>
  <em>
    <span>and it was with Henry. His Henry.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Joey’s fingers crept down to Henry’s soft brown locks, and he caressed them lovingly as the man went on with his actions. He began taking more of Joey’s length while stroking the base with a hand, all accompanied by Joey’s moans. At one point Joey tugged at his hair, which made Henry abruptly stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, love?" He asked with a hint of worry in his voice. "Am.. Am I doing this okay?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Y-You're perfect, Henry.." Joey gulped. "But if it goes on like this, I.. I might.."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You can finish, Joey.. That's what I was aiming for~." Henry was about to start again, but Joey stopped him with a shaky hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Henry, I.. want to make you feel good, too." He gently pulled Henry up on top of him. Henry clumsily stumbled around a bit before placing both palms on the bed next to Joey, holding himself up and looking down at his friend affectionately. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Well, it might have been more than just 'friend' now. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you sure about this?" He breathed out as he felt Joey's hands tug at the hem of his trousers. He was pretty aroused by that time as well, and let out a small sigh when he felt Joey's fingers graze his member.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes. I want </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>." Joey did indeed sound sure. Henry wanted him too; he was just afraid of hurting him. Or doing something that he shouldn't.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nevertheless, he got out of his clothing, then freed Joey from his as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you got something like a.. uh.. lube?” Henry questioned awkwardly; all this was very new to him, but he did hear a thing or two before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ch-check the drawer. It’s.. what I use..” </span>
  <em>
    <span>When I pleasure myself, thinking of you, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Joey added, but only in his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry quickly located the item in question - a kind of oil -, poured some of it in his hand, and rubbed it all over his hard length. He then positioned himself between Joey’s legs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, you only need a single word and I’ll-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re too nice, Henry.” Joey chuckled faintly. “I completely trust you. Now, how about we make love?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry got all flustered and blushing, mumbling something under his breath. But he complied and slowly started thrusting in; paying attention to every little whimper from Joey, to make sure he’s feeling as good as himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S-Still okay, love?” He whispered to Joey, bending down so their bodies touched. He grabbed onto Joey’s hand that was laying on the bed and entwined their fingers. Joey weakly squeezed onto it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm. Keep going, Henry..” Joey let out occasional small cries and moans, but it wasn’t in pain. Henry took that as an encouragement. He pulled out, then back again all the way, and kept up a slow and steady motion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"God, Joey.. you feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>so good</span>
  </em>
  <span>.."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey was panting under him by then, and Henry’s thrusts became faster and increased in force as he started losing control. He still didn’t want to cause pain to Joey, but his own needs started to take over. He was muttering little praises to him, saying how much he loved him, and Joey was basically reduced to a whining mess. “H-Henry, I.. gonna-..” He managed to breathe out at one point. “P-Please, touch me..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry instantly wrapped a hand around Joey’s member, and started pumping it to the rhythm of his thrusts. Joey let out a particularly loud cry, and in a few moments he came onto Henry’s hand and his own abdomen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry followed not long after. He moaned Joey’s name, and gave in to the feeling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nearly collapsed on his lover, shakily holding himself up on his elbows. Then he managed to roll next to Joey with some struggles, and exhaled deeply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well.. so much for being ‘best friends forever’, huh?” Henry let out a short laugh. Joey turned his head to him, slight grief on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W- I’m.. sorry Henry, I really didn’t want to ruin our friendship.. I.. Please, I hope we can stay friends, I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ya silly.” Henry interrupted him with a warm smile, and lifted up a hand to stroke his face. Joey’s cheeks turned red. “I mean, I’d like </span>
  <em>
    <span>more </span>
  </em>
  <span>than friendship from you, if you wouldn’t mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t.” Joey’s voice came out quiet, astonished, but filled with relief. “When I said I love you, Henry.. I meant it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too. I love you, Joey Drew. Love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey was in pure bliss. He wouldn’t know at that moment that this night would be the changing point in his life, for more than one reason. First of all, it was the beginning of his bittersweet relationship with Henry. And he would soon learn that Henry wasn’t just about to become the most important, but the only person in his life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next morning, some officers came looking for Joey, informing him of his parents’ passing. Joey was completely shocked; despite his rocky relationship with them. They were still his parents after all. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Road accident. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It was just something he could have never imagined happening in his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry was with him during the whole time, though, and helped him through the hard periods, providing every kind of support he needed. Granted, Joey inherited quite a large sum of money, so he, at least, didn’t have problems with that side of the things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite being ‘free’ now, Joey still went on learning engineering. Maybe out of grief, maybe as a comforting action. It was planned, so it shall be like that. It did reassure him, in a way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In just a few months after the events, Joey asked Henry to move in with him. Things went real fast between them, but neither of them seemed to care. Henry happily agreed to spend more time with his love. He was a bit upset that Joey didn’t start studying art with him, even though he </span>
  <em>
    <span>could have</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but that was just a small detail that didn’t really matter all that much anyways. They never made their relationship official or public, but that definitely wasn’t a problem. They were together, they were happy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s when Joey started having those </span>
  <em>
    <span>visions </span>
  </em>
  <span>of his. That was the turn from where things seemed to go bad. Of course, it wasn’t anything ‘bad’ at first. Odd and sudden, sure, but nothing too </span>
  <em>
    <span>harmful.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He greeted Henry one day with a big smile as the other arrived back home after a long day in uni. Henry tiredly walked up to him and placed a small peck on his cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How was your day, love?” He asked, cheerful as usual despite his exhausted state.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’ve got big news, Henry!” Joey chimed, and Henry raised a brow. “You know that old building down the Broadway, the one they wanted to demolish?” When Henry nodded, he went on. “I got it for a </span>
  <em>
    <span>great </span>
  </em>
  <span>price. We’re gonna open an animation studio.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry’s eyes widened. He wasn’t sure if the man was joking. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Surely he must be?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m absolutely serious, Henry!” As if he was reading his mind (which he did surprisingly often) Joey wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “And I’d like you to be my head of animation department, and partner director. Once it’s all ready. We’ll make it together, Henry! What do you think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry was rather speechless and astonished. <em>This was such a big decision. They were a couple. Same household as well. So why would Joey go around him and make a choice like this alone? And then expect him to play along, like nothing happened?</em></span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey must have seen his troubled face expression, because he leaned down, caressed his cheek, and kissed his forehead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>huge</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but I believe in it, Henry. This is my dream. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Our </span>
  </em>
  <span>dream, right? Just imagine! A whole Studio, for us. I’ve already spoken with the right people, and renewal processes will start soon. It will be ready.. by the time you finish your studies, at least.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So.. what about </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>studies then?” That’s all Henry could ask. He knew that Joey didn’t really like his course all that much, but he was very close to getting his degree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I quit.” Joey waved his hand in the air dismissingly. “This is much more important, I’ll have to dedicate all my energy to it. And money, of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry sighed. He wasn’t too happy with that. Sure, it wasn’t Joey’s first choice of field, but he was a surprisingly promising engineer. He was good with machines and understood them well enough. He was gonna have a nice career once he finished uni. Well, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was going to. Not anymore.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Guess I’ll better find a part-time job, then, to support us..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nonsense, dear.” Joey’s voice got softer, and he pulled Henry into an embrace. He sighed. “It’s new and frightening. But you don’t have to worry about anything. You believe in me, don’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do.” Henry muttered. However much he loved Joey, this was a lot to digest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then it’s all good. Now go rest, love. I’ll join you soon~.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry shrugged a little, and walked up the stairs to sleep this out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Studio was ready for them to start off in less than a year. By then, Henry had reconciled himself to the idea of the whole thing; moreover, he got quite excited about it as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey originally suggested naming it after both of them, but it was actually Henry who insisted on it having Joey’s name only.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on, Joey." He would say. "It's basically your money. Besides, your name is just perfect for it. It's like you were born to become an artist."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Joey was reluctant, but he agreed. He couldn't say no to Henry anyways. "Alright, but.. we're in this together, okay? We're partners."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course we are. We’ll make dreams come true. In the form of cartoons.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dreams come to life, Henry!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joey also had most of a crew recruited already, enough people to start working with. There weren’t many animators (turned out they were harder to find than Joey imagined), but it was fine, since Henry was very hardworking. Joey felt slightly bad at first, making Henry work so mucg, but since the man insisted on it, he relaxed. And as things unfolded, he began to.. </span>
  <em>
    <span>expect </span>
  </em>
  <span>it. He got used to Henry overworking, got way too comfortable. And forgot how grateful he should be for having him around at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Studio grew nicely. They had their first great success with the Bendy cartoons in a few years, which escalated everything rapidly. The Studio got well-known, they started earning larger sums of money, and they were in higher demand than ever before. Which meant the obvious need for extra staff. Joey Drew, however, clearly forgot to take that into consideration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Joey, please, just listen..” Henry sighed tiredly, leaning onto Joey’s desk in his office. It was way past midnight, after Henry was done with his overtime, having to finish an animation to meet a deadline. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Again. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“I can’t go on like this. You need to.. </span>
  <em>
    <span>we </span>
  </em>
  <span>need to hire more people for animation. At least ten more I’d say. But.. we should be able to afford that.. as things are looking now…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Henry, Henry..” Joey hushed him, standing up from his seated position and walking over to the frustrated man. He pulled him into an embrace, to which Henry grumpily obliged. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Joey was just ignoring him. And it happened more and more often. Henry wasn’t pleased. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“You know it’s in progress. It’s not that easy, leading a Studio.. But I know you can handle this, Henry, you’re so strong. I don’t know what would I do without you~.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Henry was leaning his head on Joey’s chest, letting the taller man caress his hair; but he was looking away. And he realized he wasn’t all that happy anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything went downhill from there; at least in their personal lives. It took some more time<em> (and a new job offer helped, too)</em> until Henry finally set his mind up to actually leave Joey. Some more ignorance from Joey’s side, the increasing frequency of arguments, and several nights spent working until he nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Joey, of course, was devastated when Henry coolly stated his points to him. He didn’t understand at that time. He had no idea what he did wrong. He was horribly oblivious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re just not the same Joey I met back then and fell in love with. Not that sweet, caring person I shared so many memories with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“People change, Henry!” Joey was desperate, and wasn’t sure how to retort. But he wanted to believe </span>
  <em>
    <span>he was right. Yes, Henry was clearly overreacting, and he was the victim there.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well.” Henry spat out bitterly. “You changed for the worse.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And the rest is history.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Joey was broken. At first, he clung firmly to the idea of Henry being ‘the bastard that betrayed him’. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He left Joey alone. He was a monster. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But the more he thought about it, the more obvious it got. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It was him that fucked everything up. He was such an idiot.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He still wasn’t exactly sure </span>
  <em>
    <span>how - </span>
  </em>
  <span>to him everything seemed perfectly fine - but he sat up his mind firmly. He promised himself that if he ever found someone else (which he pretty much doubted at that time) he would do things </span>
  <em>
    <span>differently. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Entirely differently; to be sure he won’t ruin it again. Because he never felt that awful in his life before, and he never wished for it again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took him a while to more or less get over the animator, and start thinking of relationships again. Not necessarily </span>
  <em>
    <span>dating; </span>
  </em>
  <span>but something that will get him out of his solo sessions. And that’s when his affair with Grant took place. After that it all just kinda flowed together. He surely didn’t plan to start feeling things for the accountant, but he couldn’t help himself. Maybe it was him being desperate for an emotional connection, maybe Grant reminded him of Henry, in a sense.. But it happened. <em>And now he managed to ruin it again.</em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After he put Henry’s picture back in place, he started pacing around restlessly, thinking about his next step. He definitely didn’t feel like working that day, so first of all he dialed his secretary, and informed her about his absence </span>
  <em>
    <span>(without the reasons behind it, of course).</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>And he kept on just contemplating different ideas. He was getting nervous, so he began picking up little tasks as he walked about. Tidying up various objects, and so. One of the small things he did was grabbing the suit jacked Grant had on the previous day - </span>
  <em>
    <span>which belonged to Henry once </span>
  </em>
  <span>- and taking it back to the guest room. As he opened the door, however, he immediately spotted something. He put the jacket back to the wardrobe, and walked to the nightstand that had the note on it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was neatly folded; Joey instantly knew Grant put it there. He hesitantly took it, and unfolded it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He half-expected an actual note, addressed to him. Maybe one where Grant would tell him off. Like how much of a horrible person he was and how he never wanted to see him again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it was ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>just’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>a recipe. A recipe for the suit he absolutely forgot to throw out or hide, at least.<em> And it had Henry’s name on it;</em> making it fully obvious that the clothes he gave to Grant were not <em>exactly</em> meant for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And if Grant was uncomfortable about a picture of Henry, Joey could only imagine how bad it felt for the accountant when he found this recipe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god, I fucked up real times.” He muttered as he crumpled up the piece of paper and shoved it in his pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He will have to talk to Grant. Definitely. Maybe not today, but once he figured out what he should actually say? He’ll do it.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ugh im getting more and more self conscious about everything I post mm. I wanna thank everyone that reads and likes this or any of my stories and takes their time to let me know in any way, it really makes me feel much better about my work and makes me happy. it makes a difference. You're all amazing. &lt;&lt;</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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